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2.05 Newmarket preview

Sunday's card at Newmarket opens with quite a tricky handicap, just the sort of puzzle which Dan Kelly, @muffinmannhc, lives for...
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A race which has been bereft of quality until Times Up win last year, this year's running looks a far sharper renewal.

If there's one good thing about the Shergar Cup then it's surely the inability of some jockeys to ride the round course, and Yutaka Take is a prime example of such, the good thing you wonder is the fact that Rock A Doodle Doo comes here after a fall in the weights. Then again I am being harsh on Take, as he wasn't the only jockey to give him a poor ride last year, Makin did also at York, whether that was due to possible stamina doubts or not, he made too much use of RADD in the home straight and was spent in closing stages. Back over his favoured 12f trip, he is overpriced at 16s+.

Of the shorter priced runners, I am keen on seeing how Sandusky goes this year. Late on the scene as a 2yo he ran behind Al Kazeem where showing a tendency to be keen, and this trait was noticeable again in his 3yo career. He was keen throughout at York on handicap debut, and as many have done Ahmed Ajtebi made a move too early in the straight, mix these two together and it's not a surprise he didn't see out the 12f trip out then. He closed his season off with a very comfortable win at Goodwood where again after a break he was keen, but stayed the trip out well on ground on easy side. Question is will he be keen again here, however with a further winter on his back I very much doubt we have seen the best of him.

Couple of interesting runners for future engagements take the form of Eye Of The Tiger and Lyric Street. Eye Of The Tiger has been dropped 11lbs since his debut run for Barney Curley, amazing considering he was loose beforehand, and I fully expect him to be a force in the better 12f+ races later on in the season if he's able to shave another 11lbs off his handicap. a Group 2 winner on Soft ground in Cologne over 12f his overseas form suggest he's best seen from the front, so we will at least know when he's on a going day. Lyric Street is an interesting stable switch. Leaving Cumani's for Ed Dunlop is not a switch I would class as a plus, but he's yet to encounter his favoured conditions of Good or quicker ground since his good win at this course last year. I hope a tilt at something like the Old Newton Cup at Haydock is in his schedule.

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